Controller for electrical train signaling apparatus



Patented May 2, I899. W. A. STAMBAUGH. CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRICAL TRAIN SIGNALING APPARATUS.

( Application filed Mar. 1, 1899.)

2 Shaets$heet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 624,396. Patented May 2, I899. W. A. STAMBAUGH.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRICAL TRAIN SIGNALING APPARATUS.

4 Al 7 II M? {No Model.)

lllllll WIIIIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. STAMBAUGH, OF EFFINGIIAM, ILLINOIS.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRICAL TRAIN SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,396, dated May 2, 1899.

Application filed March 1 1899.

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. STAM- BAUGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Effingham, in the county of Effingham and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controllers for Electrical Train Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of 'this specification.

My invention relates to a controller for the bells of electrical signaling apparatus for railway-crossings in which the signal-bells are operatedthrough the medium of a completed electrical circuit created by the presence of the wheels of a railway-locomotive or cars on insulated portions of the railway-track located at the position of the signal.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a diagrammatic View of a railway-track and signal apparatus equipped with my improved controller. Fig. II is a perspective view showing all parts of the controller at rest. Fig. III is a perspective view showing one of the circuit-making levers of the controller thrown into circuit-completing position to operate the signal-bell. Fig. IV is a perspective view showing both of the circuit-making levers depressed and in connection with the insulation which separates them to break the circuit.

1 designates the base of the controller, on which two pairs of electromagnets 2 and 3 are mounted.

4 designates a post, near the upper end ofwhich is supported a spring-arm 5, bearing a piece of insulation 6. Projecting from the post 4 beneath the spring-arm 5 is an arm 7, containing an adjustment-screw 8, the stem of which is located immediately beneath the spring-arm 5 in such position that when the free end of said spring-arm is depressed it will be limited inits downward movement by said screw.

9 designates abracket-post, in which a rocking'lever 10 is pivotally mounted, so as to be capable of swinging in the bracket of said post between pivotscrews seated therein.

The rocking lever 10 is provided with a Serial No. 707,323. (No model.)

weighted outer end 11, and the inner end of the lever is formed with a contact-arm l2 and a finger 13. On the finger 13 is a sleeve 14 of insulating material. The contact-arm 12 projects into a position beneath the springarm 5, and the finger 13, with its sleeve 14, projects above the spring-arm in a position parallel thereto.

15 designates a standard located 011 the ports a fork having arms 16.

17 designates a plate mounted near its outer edge between pivot-screws 18, seated in the fork-arms 16. This plate is mounted directly A base 1, beside the electromagnets 2, that supabove the electromagnets 2 and is arranged 1 to be attracted to said magnets to cause it to be swung in a downwardly direction. Attached to the plate 17 is a lever 19, provided at its outer end with a weight 20 and having its inner end projecting over into proximity 1, beside the'electromagnets 3, is a standard 15 similar to that 15, and on this standard is a fork having arms 16, containing pivotscrews 18", that receive a plate 17 similar to that 17. The plate 17 has attached to it a lever 19, provided with a weight 2O at its outer end that is limited in its downward movement by an adj ustment-screw (not shown) similar to that 22.

23 designates binding-posts that are wired to the electromagnets 2, (see Fig. II,) a wire from one of said posts extending to one of the electromagnets 2, while the wire from the other post extends to the other magnet 2.

23 designates binding-posts that are wired to the electromagnets 3 in a similar manner to the wiring between the posts 23 and the magnets 2. 1

24 designates a binding-post that is wired to the post 4:, and 25 designates a bindingpost that is wired to the bracket-post 9.

' trical current into sections and D or into the main railportions beyond. E and F are rail-sections at the opposite side of the apparatus, insulated from sections G and H and the main rail-portions beyond at this lastnamed side. The sectionsA B and E F are separated and insulated from each other by sections I and J', interposed between them and insulated from them.

K designates a conductor connecting the rail A to a cell-of a battery L, and the cell to which the conductor K is connected is connected by a conductor M to one of the binding-posts 23 of the controller. (See Fig. I.)

N designates a conductor leading from the rail-section B to the other binding-post 23. Connected to the rail-section E is a conductor O, that leads to one of the cells of the battery L, and the cell to which this last-named conductor is connected is in circuit with one of the binding-posts 23 by means of a conduct-or P. The rail-section F is supplied with a conductor Q, that leads to the other bindtroller in connection with the train signaling apparatus. In the passage of an engine or train along a railway-track equipped with the apparatus, the track-wheels coming onto the rail-sections A B, the electrical circuit previously broken between the said rail-sections is completed through the track-wheels and axles of the engine or car, the electrical current passing from the battery L through the conductor K to the rail-section A, and from said rail-section through the track-wheels and axles of the engine or car to energize the section B, and thence through the conductor N to the binding-post 23, to which said conductor leads. From the said binding-post the-current passes into one of the electromagnets 2 and energizing it attracts the swinging plate 17 to said magnet, and the circuit passes through said plate to the other magnet 2, and thence over the connecting-wires to the other binding-post 23 and over the .conductor M to the cell of the battery L, from which the conductor K leads. As the rail-sections A B and E F are separated by the insulating-sections I and J, it will be seen that there is no transmission of current between said rail-sections. The rail-sections E and F are connected by their conductors, as explained, to the binding-posts 23 in the same manner as explained regarding the rail-sections A and B, and it will therefore be unnecessary to further explain the circuit between the railsections E and F, as it is a duplicate of that explained in connectionwith the rail-sections A and B and is designed to operate that part of the controller corresponding to its side, so that the controller will be operated in a similar manner as when approaching the signaling apparatus at the position of the rail-sectionsA and B. The circuit being completed through the conductors from the rail-sec tions A B or E F, according to the direction from which the engine or train is approach ing, the plate 17 or 17 is moved to the magnets, over which it is mounted. For the purpose of simplifying the description I will refer only to the operation of the device in connection with the approach of an engine or train onto the rail-sections A and B. As the plate 17 is drawn to the electromag= nets 2 its inner end is moved into contact with the spring-arm 5 onto the insulation 6, as shown in Fig. III. This causes the springarm 5 to be depressed onto the stem of the adjustment-screw 8 and into contact with the contact-arm 12 of the rocking lever 10. With the parts in this position a circuit is formed as follows: through the conductor S from its cell of the battery L to the signal-bell 26, from the said bell through the conductor T to the binding-post 25, thence through the bracketpost 9 and the contact-arm 12 of the rocking lever 10 to the spring-arm 5, post 4, and thence to the binding-post 24 and over the conductor R to the cell of the battery L, from which the conductor S leads, thereby furnishing a current to the bell 26 by which it is operated. This condition of the parts is maintained until the wheels of the engine or car have passed onto the rail-sections E F, when a circuit is completed from the said rail-sections E F to the binding-post 23 to energize the electromagnets 3 and throw the inner end of the lever 19* downwardly against the insulatingsleeve 14, carried by the finger 13 of the rocking lever 10. This action moves the parts into the position shown in Fig. IV, in which the contact-arm 12 is moved away from the spring-arm 5, thereby breaking the circuit connection between the posts 4 and 9 and cutting the signal-bell out of circuit, and by reason of the insulating parts 6 and 14 there is no possibility of the passage of a current between said posts through the rocking lever 10, and as a consequence the signal-bell ceases to ring, while as soon as the wheels of the engine or car have vacated the rail-sections E F the circuit is entirely out out from the controller and. the parts assume their normal positions, as seen in Fig. II, and remain in that condition until the approach of another train.

While I have shown and described my controller arranged in direct circuit connection with the railway-rails, so that the signal-bell is caused to ring throughout the period that ICC the engine 01'' car wheels remain on the insulated rail-sections, it is evident that time mechanism may be used in connection with the signal with an overhead Wire leading to said time mechanism from the controller located at a point remote from the crossing and arranged at such position in circuit connection with insulated rail-sections where it operates by completing the circuit throughthe rails, battery, and controller in substantially the same manner as that hereinbefore described. In this use of the apparatus it is nec-' essary to employ a controller at both sides of the protected crossing, through the medium of which the signal-bell maybe operated according to the direction from which the train approaches the crossingthat is say, the controller at the approach side is the only one designed to be effected to operate the signalbell. In order to prevent the operation of the other controller, the one at the departing side of the crossing, the lever 19 or 19, that would be operated by its electromagnets in the travel of the train in departing from the crossing, is prevented from descending into contact with the spring-arm 6 and completing the electric circuit by providing a suitable stop that will limit the downward movement of the inner end of said lever, which stop may be of any suitable construction carried by the post 4 or introduced into any other desirable position in the apparatus.

I claim as my invention- 7 1. In a controller for signal-bells, the combination of two pairs of electromagnets, levers arranged to be moved by the attraction of said magnets, a spring contact-arm against which either of said levers may be brought to bear, a rocking lever, a contact-arm carried by said rocking lever adapted to receive the contact of said spring-arm, and a finger carried by said rocking lever adapted to receive the second of said levers when it is acted upon by the attraction of its magnet, substantially as described.

2. In a controller for signal-bells, the combination of two pairs of electromagnets, levers""arranged to be moved by the attraction of said magnets, a post, a spring-arm supported by said post, a bracket-post, a rock ing lever mounted on said bracket-post, a contact-arm carried by said rocking lever, a finger carried by said rocking lever, and an insulator on said finger, substantially as described.

3. In a controller for signal-bells, the combination of two pairs of electromagnets, levers arranged to be moved by the attraction of said magnets, a post, a spring-arm sup ported by said post, an insulator on said arm, a bracket-post, a rocking lever mounted in said bracket-post, a contact-arm carried by said rocking lever, a finger carried by said rocking lever, an insulator-sleeve on said finger, the said rocking lever being provided with a weighted outer end, substantially as set forth.

. 4-. In a controller for signal-bells, the com= bination of two pairs of electromagnets, levers arranged to be moved by the attraction of said magnets and having weighted outer ends, a post, a spring contact-arm supported by said post, an adjustment-screw located be= neath said spring-arm, a bracket-post,- a rocking lever mounted in said bracket-post, a contact-arm carried by said rocking lever adapted to receive said spring-arm, a finger carried by said rocking lever, and an insulator carried by said finger, substantially as described. 7

E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER. 

